Violin of the Poet-Kings
A powerful creation of the First Age and likely the most potent musical instrument Creation has ever seen. A white and gold violin strung with four strings of orichalcum, moonsilver, starmetal, and jade; simple and elegant in appearance. The Violin of the Poet-Kings does not create music- it commands it. Sound does not travel from its strings to reach the ears of listeners, rather, it is pulled from the very surrounding Essence of creation. The bearer of the First Instrument plays the very dragon-lines, strands of fate, and strings of Essence that hold all Creation together. The first and most obvious power of the Violin is that playing it alters the surrounding essence. A light, fiery song sends out waves of flame; a slow, rhythmic ostinato forms stone and sand; a sad and angry tune creates a bolt of necromantic essence. An extremely skilled player can control these and propel dangerous projectiles of Essence at his adversaries, and (with a stunt) use them to protect herself. By supplying some of her own Essence the bearer can deal aggravated damage to being vulnerable to a specific Essence type. The next power is not as immediately apparent but possibly even more useful. Its control over sound is nearly absolute. The sound does not travel, rather it is pulled from the very Essence of its surroundings, as well as the Essence of its targets. Simply put, it MUST be heard. Any sound made by the Violin cannot be mentally dodged without a Charm, and must be parried (typically by trying to hum or sing another song). This extends to mundane attempts such as earplugs; the power of the Violin simply causes the plugs to vibrate at the appropriate frequencies. Completely deaf subjects and beings without Compassion scores (such as automata and undead) are still immune. Finally, being a supernaturally powerful instrument, it grants the bearer four extra dice on any Performance rolls made with it. This includes charms with Silver-Voiced Nightingale. Theoretically, the Violin could help alter the geomantic landscape, decreasing the amount of time and effort necessary to create a demesne. This would take the prerequisite knowledge of geomancy or a skilled geomancer's guidance, as well as a large amount of time and some normal physical labor on the side. It could also be used to start fires or supply water in an arid climate, but this gets progressively more difficult farther from the corresponding elemental pole or an appropriate dragon line. Other creative uses may exist as well. The Violin was made for use with the Bow of the Poet-Kings, and it is compatible with Silver-Voiced Nightingale Style. Combat: The Violin of the Poet-Kings allows its bearer to use their (lowest of Dexterity or Charisma) + Performance as their attack pool, and add their Essence to damage instead of Strength. This makes the +0 Accuracy something of a misnomer as the violin itself gives +4 to Performance rolls. The Violin may be flurried with normal attacks with the Bow of the Poet-Kings, or any other violin bow fashioned into a weapon if one were to exist. +0L, +0 Acc, +0 Def, Speed 5, Rate 1 By reflexively spending two motes with an attack, the wielder can cause it to deal aggravated damage to something vulnerable to (or formed from) a specific Essence type, such as elementals or creatures of darkness, with an appropriate stunt. Attuning to it costs 10 motes. Category:Sunlight on the Water Category:Daughter of the Amber Melody